Toy.



No. 883,390. I PATENTED MAR. 31. 1908;

B. B. COLEMAN.

TOY.

APPLICATION rILnn DBG.31,1907.

. jwuou-fo a: BELLE BART/PAM comma/v v 1 baza l'l oz nct a) W J THE "cams PETERS co., wasnmamu, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BELLE BARTRAM COLEMAN, OF BERLIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SARAH I. SGHAGK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TOY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 31, 1908.

Application filed December 31, 1907. Serial No. 408,788.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BELLE BARTRAM COLE- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Berlin, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toys, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a construction of mechanical toy of the type which is actuated by the manipulation of a string or cord to execute certain predetermined movements. Toys of this class are capable of being made very cheaply of wood or cardboard, and are particularly amusing to children on account of the variety of erratic movements which can be produced by varied manipulations of the operating cord.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, I make use of two figures, one that of a person, preferably a man, and theuother a beast or animal such as a horse or bu The principal object is to cause these figures to describe movements depicting amusing stages of struggles of the ordinary well known sorts that take place between men and domestic beasts of this character.

The second object of my invention is to so embody an elastic filament or band in the structure of the figures that they are automatically returned to a fixed starting position after every actuation of the cord, regardless of the relations which they have assumed by its manipulation. In other words, I aim to have the figures attain a normal or quiescent stage when the apparatus is at rest, but to be thrown into varied, uncouth and amusing relations when the operating cord is pulled.

With these objects in view, the invention consists in the features of construction and combination as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings, I have illustrated two structures embodying the foregoing principles of my invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a horse and rider toy embodying the principles of my invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a toy embodying a man and bull in place of a horse and rider.

Referring to the drawings in which like parts are designated by the same reference sign, 1 indicates the frame or body of a horse conveniently manufactured of two parallel plates 2 of wood or cardboard fixed upon a 1 suitable supporting base 3.

4 denotes the head of the horse pivoted between the plates 2 of the body by a pin or rivet 5. The tail 6 is also similarly pivoted at a point 7. In this way, the head and the tail are capable of describing movements analogous to those of actual life.

8 designates a cord or thread connecting the head and the tail and extending between the plates 2 of the body. I fasten the cord 8 to the tail at a point 9 slightly above the pivot point 7, the other end being fastened to thehead at a point 11 also preferably above the line of the pivot 5. By virtue of this relation, the tail of the horse rises when his head drops and conversely, in a very natu ral and lifelike manner.

The rider has a head and body portion 12 conveniently made of wood of a transverse width corresponding to or slightly greater than the total width of the body of the horse.

13 designate arms pivoted to the rider at 14 and to the head of the horse at 15. The rider has loose depending legs 16 which normally straddle the horse.

17 designates a pin which may extend transversely through the neck of the horse so as to support the wrists of the rider.

18 designates an elastic band which exerts a tension to depress the head of the horse.

19 indicates another elastic band con nected to the head of the horse and to a point near the saddle of the rider, and which has an appearance analogous to the usual check reins. The band 19 exerts a very important function in the apparatus. The horses head normally occupies a mean position between its extremes of movement under the influence of both its elastic cords 18 and 19. Movement in either direction is resiliently or yieldingly opposed in a manner which is quite natural and lifelike.

The horses head is depressed by a cord 20 in opposition to the elastic band 19. As the wrists of the rider are supported at 17, he is thrown over the neck of the horse and he may or may not take a cropper according to the violence on the pull of said cord 20, but in any case the elastic retraction of the band 19 is so abrupt that the rider is thrown completely back again into the saddle by the returning upward movement of the horses head. This automatic return to the saddle always occurs regardless of what strange or uncouth way the rider may be initially displaced. The result is a movement indicative of surprising dexterity on the part of the rider who appears to be an absolutely unseatable horseman. It is, of course, essential, in order to secure this result, that the elastic band 19 be strong enough not only to raise the horses head, but the complete weight of the rider as well and give the latter a littleupward toss at the completion of the elastically-impelled movement.

In Fig. 3, a bull is illustrated in place of a horse and having a body- 1, a head 4 and a tail 6 exactly analogous to these features in the horse. The head and the tail are similarly pivoted at points 5 and 7. The body -of the man is designated 12 and has arms 13 and-depending legs 16. In this case, however, the arms of the man are pivoted to a rail 30 which may be considered the top rail of a fence.

31 designates an elastic band which is secured to the man at 32 and to the head of the bull at 33. This band exerts a function analogous to that of the band 19 in the case of the horseman. The bull has horns 34 which preferably project out laterally from his head and. the man has a coat-tail 35 which is in the path of the upward movement of one horn 34 when the bull raises his head.

36 designates a cord passing between the body plates 2 and attached to the head of the bull at the point 37. In this way, the bull is caused to raise his head abruptly when the operating cord 36 is pulled. The upward movement of the bulls head causes its horn 34 to strike beneath the coat-tail 35 of the man, who is by this means impelled over the fence. But the continued upward movement of the bulls head causes an increasing tension in the band 31 which eventually becomes sufficient to hoist the figure of the man back again in exactly the same manner as the figure of the horseman in Fig. 1 is returned. At the same time band 31 exerts a function to insure the return of the bulls head to its lowered or normal position. The apparatus is therefore in condition for a repetition of the above movements when the bulls head has been again dropped by releasing the cord 36.

What I claim, is

1. In a mechanical toy, an animal having a pivoted head and a pivoted tail, a flexible inelastic cord. connecting said head and tail, said connection with the tail being made on 'a' line above the axis of pivotal movement thereof, whereby the tail rises when the head is moved, a cord connected to said animals head for jerking it out of its normal position, a human figure adapted to be displaced from anormal position of repose to one which is uncouth and amusing, and an elastic band connected. to the animals head at a point near the ears thereof and operating to return said figure to its normal position of repose when said cord is released, said head of the animal having an engaging relation with said figure to displace the latter into its uncouth or amusing relation when said head is moved with a rapid or jerking movement.

2. In a mechanical toy, a supporting base, an animal having a body with legs fixed to said base and having a head pivoted to 'said body, a retractile member 19 connected to said head closely behind the ears thereof and joined to the back of said body, a figure having arms pivoted to the neck of the animal, and a cord. for jerking said anim als head.

3. In a mechanical toy, a supporting base, an animal having a body with legs fixed to said base and having a pivoted. head and a pivoted tail, a retractile member connected to said head, at a point near the ears thereof and to said body, whereby said head is raised, yielding means for limiting the upward movement of the head, a figure having arms pivoted to said head, means for jerking the head downward, and means for raising said. tail when the head is lowered.

4. In a mechanical toy, a supporting base, an animal having a body with legs fixed to said base and having a pivoted head, a figure having arms pivoted to the neck of the animal, a retractile member fixed to said head and said body to normally raise said head, and a cord connected to the mouth of the head at a tether.

5. In a mechanical toy, a supporting base, an animal having a body with legs fixed to said base and having a head and a tail pivoted to said body, a figure having pivoted arms pivoted to the head of the animal, a retractile member joining said head to said body whereby the head is raised, means for raising said tail when the head is lowered, and a cord pivoted to said head to constitute a bridle or tether.

6. In, a mechanical toy, a supporting base, an animal having a body with legs fixed to said base and having a pivoted head, a figure having arms pivoted to said head and of sufficient length to swing completely forward thereover with said figure, a retractile member fixed to the head at a point behind the ears thereof and connected to the back of said body whereby the head is normally raised, and a cord fixed to said head at a point to constitute a bridle or tether for lowering the same independently of the body.

7. In a mechanical toy, a supporting base, an animal having a body with legs fixed to said base and having a pivoted head, a figure having arms pivoted to said head and of sufficient length to swing completely forward thereover with said. figure, a retractile member fixed to the head at a point behind the point to constitute a bridle or ears thereof and connected to the back of I-ure to move the same whereby the second said body whereby the head is normally raised, a cord fixed. to said head at a point to constitute a bridle or tether for lowering the same independently of the body, and another retractile member connected to said. head to limit the upward movement thereof.

8. In a mechanical toy, a figure having a movable part, an elastic band connected thereto, a second figure havin means extending therefrom about whic it, pivots, means connected to said part of the first figfigure is displaced, said band exerting a func tion to return the second figure to its normal 15 position when'said part of the first figure re sumes its normal position.

In witness whereof, I subscribe my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

BELLE BARTRAM COLEMAN.

\Vitnesses:

FRANK S. OBER, ALFRED W. Pnoc'ron. 

